Smoking very likely makes it harder to have a baby, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a new publication issued on 8 September 2026, highlighting that women who smoke have a 40 per cent higher risk of infertility compared to non-smokers, according to a press release by the UN health agency. The report summarizes decades of evidence linking tobacco use to reproductive harm in both women and men. WHO defines infertility as failing to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. The condition affects one in six people globally. The agency urged people planning a pregnancy to stop smoking to improve their reproductive health.